Background: Understanding service quality from the perspective of healthcare employees is vital for redesigning effective and sustainable healthcare systems. While patient expectations and perceptions are well-researched in the literature, employee perceptions remain underexplored, particularly in resource-constrained settings such as India’s healthcare sector. Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted with 500 employees across 23 charitable and private hospitals in the state of Punjab, India. The questionnaire was designed, including the generic SERVQUAL items, quality improvement (QI) practices, and organizational assessment items. Reliability was confirmed via Cronbach’s alpha; factor validity was assessed through EFA. Independent t-tests and ANOVA explored demographic variations. Results: Reliability (M=3.72) and Responsiveness (M=3.68) were the most positively rated service quality domains, whereas Empathy (M=3.19) and Tangibles (M=3.47) scored lowest. There were mixed perceptions regarding activities related to quality improvement, while training rates were moderate, and employee engagement remained low. Technicians reported the lowest satisfaction levels across all job roles (p<0.001). EFA confirmed existing variable structures with a significant Bartlett’s Test (p < .001), and KMO of 0.757. Conclusion: Hospital employees perceive themselves as responsive and reliable but face emotional fatigue, poor infrastructure, and fragmented QI engagement. Technicians in require targeted interventions. Empowering staff voices in quality strategies is essential for meaningful and lasting healthcare reform.
Sonali et al. (Mon,) studied this question.